Summer Camp All Over Again
by shabaku
Summary: Being dragged along to a 'wonderful' vacation with Snow and the others, Lightning has no other choice but to try and survive the holiday. After arriving though, things turn ugly - or fascinating, depends... LightxFang, hints at other pairings.
1. The Wonderful Invention Called Booze

**Okay, so this _might _be a full story with chapters and all, but I'm not sure whether I'll finish it, depends on my mood (and on positive/negative reviews, of course!)  
I hope you enjoy reading.**

_[Teenage dream – Katy Perry]_  
_[Tik-Tok – Ke$ha]_  
_[Friday Night – Katy Perry]_

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**Summer Camp All Over Again**

_Chapter one: The Wonderful Invention Called Booze

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_

Music was blowing from the car's too expensive speakers, wind buffeting through the opened windows. The sun was shining and the sky was a bright azure blue, with only small smears of white clouds on the horizon like puffs of whipped cream, the plains around the road seeming to stretch out endlessly and the heat vibrating the air.

"Aah! This, _this _is the _life_!" Vanille hung outside the window like a premature dog, arms stretched out into the passing by wind and her eyes closed with pure enjoyment, her hair blowing all over the place. "Snow! Snow! Can you go faster?" Her voice nearly got lost in the gust outside the car, was barely audible above the blustering engine. Snow roared with laughter and, to Serah's distress, put his foot down to the floor and let the car spurt away with screaming tires. Vanille screamed, laughing, and shouted inaudible sentences of happiness.

"No, Snow, no, this is way too fast!" Serah tried to sound frightened but couldn't help laughing at Vanille's bright face and giggled a little, what made all the effort she had put in really trying to make Snow slow down lost. He just beamed his wide boy smile and put a large hand on Serah's, winking at her.

"Don't worry babe, we're gonna be fine. You got me behind the steerin' wheel, remember?"

"That's _exactly _what makes me think we won't make it there alive," was Fang's casual remark from behind. She barely had room for herself with Vanille hanging all over her lap as she dangled dangerously far out of the car window, said girl's elbow nearly pinning her nose into the seat. Fang's voice had been indifferent, but her fingernails, digging into the car's leather seating, told otherwise.

"Hey now! You gotta have a little faith in me, okay?" Snow even glanced over his shoulder, giving Fang a thumbs up while winking at her, making her nearly rip the leather apart in a frantic try to – for god's sake – make him at least _look _at the road, only interrupted by Vanille's body blocking her way to the driver's seat.

"Snow." Lightning spoke her first word since they had left home, stopping Fang in her attempt to push Vanille out of her way. "Slow down or I swear you're going to regret you didn't when we arrive." She seemed to think about the last part. "…_If_ we arrive."

Her voice froze the cheery atmosphere and Snow shuddered nearly unnoticeably in his seat, pulling his foot off the gas, making the car lose speed quickly. "Sorry sis," he said, "didn't know you'd be all that _edgy_ today! Let's try and make it a happy holiday for everyone, okay? It's gonna be a nice week, I promise!" And he smiled his Prodent smile Lightning hated so much. She grinded her teeth together to keep a sharp retort inside and glared at the surroundings instead, afraid she might rip his stupid smiling head off his neck if she didn't.

"Hey!" Vanille had pulled her head back inside, her hair puffed up to gigantic proportions. "Why did we slow down? Hey? Snow?"

It had seemed like a nice idea at first. A holiday, just a week or two, perhaps even three if they could have each other around again for that amount of time. Oh yes, it had been a perfect idea – until Snow had decided to take the initiative and 'organize' the entire thing. Which included calling Lightning's work to arrange three weeks off without even letting her know anything about it, in a lame attempt on surprising her with the holiday.

He couldn't know Lightning had been so thrilled about the idea everyone would be gone for three weeks that she broke her phone when hearing that she was invited – oh she should feel _so _honored, especially when she heard he had done the same thing with Fang _and _Sazh _and _Hope.

Yes, it had started as a perfect idea. But it turned out to be a horrific nightmare.

Hope hadn't been able to tag along as he and his father had already booked a vacation to a far away, warm island, and Sazh had also been able to avoid the reunion, using his work as a – lame – excuse, saying he couldn't possibly cancel his flights even though he knew that everyone was well aware that his bosses adored him from what he had done for both Pulse as Cocoon. If anyone could arrange three weeks off – heck, he could leave for a year and still be employed – it would be him.

And now Lightning was sitting in this way too loud and posh car, on her way to the _lovely _little house in the mountains, packed in on the backseat feeling sweaty and dirty, having the foresight of sharing a shower with four others and having to cope with being the only single in the company of two couples. Oh yes, she _really _looked forward to the weeks to come.

"Hey, Light, cheer up a little will ya? The weather's nice, we'll be there within _minutes, _everything's going as planned, right, right?" Vanille beamed her I'm-a-happy-and-always-way-too-energetic-young-girl smile at Lightning, who gave her the coldest look she had in her repertoire in an attempt to make her shut up without having to talk. It didn't work. "Oh, we're gonna have so much _fun_! It's really a pity Sazh and Hope couldn't make it, though. Won't be the same without them. Hm." She pouted slightly. "Ah well, we just gotta make up for their absence ourselves right?"

Not expecting any answers, she leaned forwards and turned the music up even louder. Lightning groaned and closed her eyes. She already felt a headache throbbing in the back of her head.

She needed an aspirin.

Three hours later – _three _hours – they arrived at the house. The sun had sunk behind the mountains and the heat of the day had been replaced with the night's cold that bit the travelers' skin as they got out of the car, feeble on their feet after the long sit.

"Wow," Snow wiped off some sweat. "That was a ride! 's Been a long time!"

Fang spat on the ground. She had been sick five times because of the edgy mountain roads and looked pale in the fading light. "Dear God, I need a drink." And without waiting for the others, she wobbled off towards the house, Vanille darting off after her, calling her name and sounding worried. Serah smiled at the two, Lightning just scowled as she always did as she already realized she would be the one unpacking. Snow had been driving, he was _tired _of taking wrong turns and getting hopelessly lost, and Serah, well, Serah was just too frail to carry all the baggage.

"Hey, sis, you take care of the stuff?"

He didn't even wait for her to reply but instead put up a hand to thank her and followed Vanille and Fang to the house. Serah lingered by the car, giving Lightning an apologetic look before being dragged along by Snow, leaving her sister alone with the car. After all, what more was Lightning than _more _baggage?

"I'm _not _your sister," she hissed at his disappearing figure before turning to the car. One day, one day she would make him pay. One day. Sweet revenge.

Thinking Snow's trunks were his head, she kicked them around towards the house's entrance, carrying her own and Serah's stuff and dragging Fang and Vanille's behind her over the gravel. The ground was still warm from the sun but her breath already shaped up into lingering clouds of white smoke. It would soon get really cold.

They had left the door open for her – how very nice – and she towed the luggage inside, dropping everything to the floor without minding the large BREAKABLE sticker on Snow's. She couldn't help but hope that, whatever it was inside that could break, _had _broken. Fuming on the inside, she heard sounds of conversation coming from somewhere in the house.

The hallway she stood in was small and the ceiling too low for her liking. Also everything was plated with wood, something Lightning detested above all else, and – this was even worse – the lights had red lampshades, bathing the room in a reddish, so called _cozy _illumination. Good god. How was she going to survive this?

Furthermore there was a large oaken stairway at the end of the hall, disappearing from sight to the next floor, and three doors. Two to her left and one to her right, all three of them of a dark sort of wood. She picked the right one and opened it, finding an empty toilet with green tiles and walls in a shade that must have once been emerald but now looked more like moss, with dark and light patches spread all over the plaster. She snorted and closed the door again.

The left door of the other two lead to a large kitchen, with windows all around, giving a stunning view on the surroundings. She had to admit that the setting sun and the pine trees overwhelmed her for a brief moment. At least the nature around here was beautiful. And the kitchen was _huge_… A six pit stove, dishwasher, a thousand of cupboards and – this lightened up Lightning's mood – a bar filled with liquor. Deciding to follow Fang's example, she picked a bottle of some golden drink and scanned the cupboards for a shot glass.

After ten minutes of searching, she gave up and took a glass way larger than it should be, filling it halfway with the drink that smelled of a lot of alcohol. Meanwhile, the sounds of conversation had risen to a volume where she could nearly make up what they were saying and she concluded that the living room must be the room adjoining the kitchen.

The drink in one hand, she used the other to open the door to the living room, finding all others sitting around the fireplace, a fire actually already burning inside. They looked up as she entered.

"Sis! That was quick!" Snow smiled at her. Lightning had to force the corners of her lips to tug upwards in a failed attempt to smile back – it looked more like a grimace, and Snow's smile died a quick death. "Oh, okay, sorry, I ain't your brother, I understand." He actually looked a little forlorn and that cheered Lightning up a little.

"Ow, don't be that harsh on yourself, Snow," Vanille said. And then, turning to Lightning: "Thanks for carrying our stuff inside, Light. You shouldn't have done it, but I appreciate it."

"Welcome," Lightning muttered while sitting down next to Serah on a large – also red, ugh – sofa. She hadn't expected a thank-you, especially not coming from Vanille. It was nice to get one, anyway.

"So," Fang started. "We arrived. And what's next? Pardon me, but I'm totally _done _for. I'd like to see to my appointment with my bed." She yawned.

"Hm. I agree with Fang," Serah said solemnly. "I am pretty tired myself, as well. I think everyone is." She looked around the group, her cheeks flushing with all the eyes fixed on her. "Um, well, we'll see to the other things tomorrow then?"

There was no argument. Everyone wanted to go to bed. Suddenly the room was filled with bodies getting up from their sofas and trying to get upstairs. Lightning and Fang remained behind, and both sighed at the same time, seeing the other three making attempts to get them all through the door at once. They failed.

"Yeah well, we'll be seein' _that_ a lot," Fang said, answering the unspoken irritation with their friends' dumbness. "…Snow _thinkin'_ he knows what he's doin'. Serah tryin' to fix everything. Vanille… Vanille just popping around like she always does." Snow shouted something inaudible after they heard a loud thud. "Ah well, we'll get used to it." Fang got up from the loveseat and looked at Lightning, who was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "Y'know, ya should get to bed, too."

Lightning put her – empty – glass down. "I don't need you to tell me that."

Fang glared at her. "No need to be all smartass with me, Farron."

Lightning just huffed and left the room, walking straight past Snow, Vanille and Serah who were arguing about something lying in between the three of them. She didn't pay any attention to the furniture on the second floor, just walked around until she found a room she liked – it had view on the lake next to the house – then locked herself in and fell on the bed fully dressed, sleeping nearly immediately after that.

Thank the Lord for the invention of booze.


	2. Snow and Directions  Doesn't Work!

**Okay, here's chapter two. Seems like this is going to be a full story after all (:  
Really hope you like this one, it's a little slower than the first chapter and also a tad bigger.  
If any of them seem out of character to you, let me know! I try to make them as realistic as possible.  
And reviews always make my day (;**

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**Summer Camp All Over Again**

_Chapter Two: Snow and Directions - Doesn't Work!_

It was cold in the cottage when Lightning woke up after a horrid night of dreaming vague things about Snow and Serah getting lost in the woods after hiking. She was sweating slightly beneath the woolen blankets but the air above the duvet felt freezing and her nose was so cold she was afraid it might come falling off anytime soon. And to top it all up; as she tried to get out of bed, her head throbbed with yet another headache and felt stuffed with mucus.

Jolly good, _another _day in Paradise!

The wooden floor was icy cold beneath her bare feet and she shivered as she tiptoed to her door, not sure of what time it was. The sun was shining outside though, and she guessed it was probably around eight in the morning, perhaps even earlier. Everyone else was still sleeping, she concluded from the closed doors and the silence in the house. Now being able to see everything in daylight, the wood everywhere was even worse and she noticed the carpet with a busy print that had been faded away at most places by hundreds of feet that had dragged themselves over it.

Enjoying the silence, she decided to go downstairs and have some breakfast before everyone else came to join her. Maybe she could have some peace and quiet on her own, just to prepare herself for the probably busy day to follow.

As she walked down the stairs though, she got a whiff of something that smelled like eggs and bacon and, slowing down her pace in suspicion of who might have arrived in the kitchen before her – worst case it was Snow and she had to mentally prepare herself for that – she wondered who it might be. Cautiously, she opened the door to the kitchen and peeked inside.

"Mornin' sunshine," was Fang's remark at the very moment she'd spotted the woman standing behind the stove, not even bothering to see who had entered the kitchen. She wore navy-blue shorts and a dark top in an unrecognizable shade, and stood bare footed on the cold stone floor of the kitchen. She turned around as Lightning didn't respond and looked surprised to see her standing in the doorway. "Lightning? Hm, could've sworn y'were Vanille, she makes a nasty habit outta tryin' to scare people in the mornings."

Lightning licked her lips. "I'm not Vanille."

Fang laughed. "Well, I noticed _that_…!" She turned to the frying pan again. "Anyway, you like eggs in the morning? I'll make Vanille some more after, so it's no problem."

Surprised by her kindness – she remembered having not really been nice to Fang last night – Lightning walked into the kitchen to stand next to Fang and watch her cook. "Eggs would be nice, yes. Thank you." She watched Fang clumsily trying to add another egg which resulted in a lot of shell ending up in the pan instead of Fang's fingers. She cussed and tried to pick the pieces of shell out of the eggs, only burning her fingers in the process.

"Normally… Normally this _works_…!" Fang growled at the frying pan.

Without asking, Lightning butted Fang out of her way and took over the cooking, quickly removing the pieces from the eggs with elegant fingers, adding a little salt and pepper – Fang had already put those out their cupboards – and turning the eggs swiftly before they could get too dark.

"Woah Farron, didn't expect ya to be able to cook," Fang said, sounding honestly surprised. Lightning looked at her through strands of her own hair that had fallen in front of her face again. Fang was smirking at her. "Ya seem good at it, too. Can't I hire ya as my personal cook or somethin'? I'll pay you well, promise!"

"Forget it," Lightning said back, being unable to filter the smile out of her words. And then, to distract Fang from the vague hint of a grin about her lips: "Do you know where the plates are?"

The sun quickly rose that morning in a sky as cerulean as the lakes on Gran Pulse, mist hanging heavily in between the mountains but dissolving the moment the sun's beams hit it. Slowly, the cold of the night got replaced with the promising heat of a new, beautiful day. Birds were singing through the silence in the forest, only disturbed by shouting voices coming from the holiday cottage near the lake.

"Hey! I didn't put that sticker on that for _nothing_! Woah, hey! Careful now!"

"Ow, sorry Snow, it's so heavy, I just..."

"_Don't..._!"

Loud, banging noises, something that crashed into the floor, wall or _someone_.

Groaning, Lightning sat on her bed, head resting in her hands, massaging her temples ever so slowly, as if to drive out the constant headache. Since it was, as Vanille kept calling it, 'unpack-day', everyone was busy cramming their clothing in dressers and hauling suitcases up the stairs - and it wasn't going so well. Lightning had packed as little clothing she could, knowing it was easier to travel light, and had been able to take her baggage to her room with greatest ease. She had seen that Fang had done the same, and for some reason she was happy there was at least one more person in the house who could think, but the others hadn't thought of something like stairs when they put their stuff in their cases.

And Snow, the _idiot_, had misjudged the weight of Serah's suitcase and tripped down the stairs with the luggage falling on top of him, resulting in a bruised ankle that got thicker with the minute as he simply refused to cool it and kept trying to haul his own stuff upstairs. Seeing him stumble, Vanille had tried to help him, only making things worse. The case now lay down the stairs and the two people who had tried to get it up were arguing about who dropped the handle first.

"I didn't _mean _to drop it! You're being mean, Snow!" Vanille's shrieking voice sounded thick with tears. "It just slipped through my fingers! I... I just wanted to help you!"

"Well you did a _great _job, _throwin' _it down the stairs!"

"Snow, please, calm do..."

"No! I ain't gonna calm down, Serah! She dropped the bag with the..."

"OK people, that's _it_!" Fang's voice interrupted the argument on the hallway. "What do you think you're _doing_? Y're arguing like little kids, for god's sake! Let's get it together and stop actin' like five year olds, and start behaving our age." She sounded pissed. "Snow, you get the hell down and cool that foot of yours. Vanille, stop whinin' and help Serah unpacking her stuff."

"Hey, Fang, don't you just..."

"I don't do just nothin', mister! Get down and _cool _down! And no but's, Vanille. I'll take that bag to where it belongs. Now get outta my sight."

Lightning didn't hear anyone argue the last statement and soon footsteps carried everyone away to where Fang had sent them. Lightning sighed, relieved. Perhaps now she could nap some more and try to sleep off the headache, or the cold...

She just lay down on her back, closing her eyes, when the door to her own room got kicked open by no one other than Fang herself and Lightning started, jumping from her bed. The other hadn't seen her lying down and put her hands on her hips.

"Ya got all your stuff, Farron?"

Lightning had a response ready."I've had for ages."

Fang sniffed. "Good. Thank god _you're_ capable of takin' care of yourself." She smirked. "Makes two of us against three clumsy idiots."

"Faaaaaang? You're ready?" Vanille's voice resounded from downstairs. "We're gonna use the mountain bikes that came with the cottage! Come on down!"

Fang grimaced, sighed and shook her head. When she looked up at Lightning again though, her eyes were sparkling with something Lighting couldn't define and she smiled at her. "Y're comin' with us, Farron?"And then, added with a wide smirk: "...Or are ya afraid ya might lose from the likes of me?"

By the time she'd spoken the last three words, Lightning had passed her and was already pacing down the stairs. Grinning, Fang followed her.

"Okay folks, listen up!" Snow - as usual - had gathered everyone outside. The sun was shining fully and majestically in the sky and stung Lightning's pale skin. Grimacing, she realized she'd forgotten her sunburn. "So, Serah and me, we had some ideas for the week. I mean, we can't sit on our asses the entire time right? Look at the surroundings!" He moved his arms wildly around, pointing in various directions, nearly poking Serah in her eyes while doing so. "Anyway, what I wanted to say..." he was beaming so widely that, for a brief moment, he reminded Lightning of a dog she'd once seen in her garden, digging out the few plants she had. She'd kicked it. "We kinda have made a schedule for everyone. Like, today, we're gonna bike around this really beautiful biking trail... It's stunning, promise! And tomorrow, we were planning on hiking and sleeping in the wild."

"Oooh, sounds exciting!" Vanille was hopping from one feet to the other. "So we're going to camp, then?" And then, squealing: "Always wanted to do that once!"

Serah giggled at her excitement, Fang planted her hand in her face and Lightning tried to remember why she hadn't stayed at home.

"And the day after tomorrow? What're we gonna do then?" Again Vanille was the one to ask the question. Snow grinned and rubbed his neck, looking apologetic.

"Ah, uh, well, we gotta think about that, right, Serah?" And he gave his wife a please-help-I-dunno-what-to-do-look, which she gladly returned before turning to the others around them.

"Ehm, yes, that's right, we'll think about that tonight, or tomorrow night perhaps," she said, slightly nervous. "We don't want to do something one of us doesn't like, so... we'll vote for what we'll do next, I think. Then everyone can suggest something tonight, and think about it until tomorrow, and then we'll vote tomorrow in the evenings. Okay?"

Vanille nodded. "Sure thing!"

"Sounds like a good plan," Fang added, smiling at Serah.

Lightning just nodded, and got a feeble smile from Serah in return. "Please," her eyes said. Pleaded. "Please, try to, at least, _look _happy..." And as an answer, Lightning avoided her sister's digits and looked at Snow, who was talking to Vanille, gesturing wildly. She felt guilty, but not guilty enough to change her attitude. Serah couldn't expect her to really enjoy this holiday, after all. She knew how much she hated holidays. Holidays meant free time, and free time meant thinking. And thinking meant pondering. And Lightning hated pondering.

"Okay, then, everybody, follow me!" Snow ran off towards the other end of the house, seemingly having no issues with his ankle anymore, and the others followed, although in a slower pace. Serah was walking next to Fang and Lightning got saddled with Vanille, who kept talking to her even though she never answered. Vanille didn't seem to mind, and smiled at her while attempting to chitchat.

"The weather's just lovely today, isn't it? Look at that sky! So blue! Nearly like back on Gran Pulse, don'tcha think? And the trees are so green, and the birds all sing so lovely..." she inhaled deeply and let out a big sigh. "And the air smells so nice, too... Wow, it nearly feels as if we're in paradise." She looked at Lightning for a second, probably expecting some sort of reaction, but Lightning refused to say a word and trotted straight after Snow towards the back entrance of the cottage, leaving Vanille behind looking disappointed and joining with Fang and Serah, hoping that they would talk back to her.

Now that they had to walk around it, it struck Lightning how big the house actually was. From the inside out, it had seemed awfully small for five people, but looking at it from a distance made her wonder where all the extra space had gone to. Perhaps there was a third floor they hadn't found yet, or another door hidden behind shelves or junk? Either way, the cottage fitted in with the landscape perfectly and, Lightning had to admit, had a brilliant view on the lake nearby. Now with the sun on its highest, the water reflected its rays in thousands of brilliant sparkles, just like a diamond, with a hint of cerulean blue beneath it. Beautiful.

Too soon she was disturbed from her daydream by Snow, who roughly handed her a red, debilitated bike that had been outside for too long, judging by the amount of rust on the chassis and brakes - Lightning wondered whether they'd even work and suspected accidents to happen - and she took it clumsily, not knowing what to do with it as long as the others were still chatting about the weather or something irrelevant like that. "Folks, listen up, we're headed _that _way," Snow shouted, pointing at the nearest mountain. "The guide said there was a good trail for beginning bikers there, with some nice views too - sounds good, right? And it's not too long a trail, too, so we should be back before dinner."

Fang had already jumped on her bike, a fanatical expression on her face, her eyes shimmering with excitement. "Then what are we waitin' for? Let's go!" And before anyone could react, she dashed off, throwing up dirt and stones in the air. Snow boomed with laughter and quickly followed her, his tires slipping on the grit.

"Wait for me!" Serah waveringly took off, wobbling on the pebbles, shortly followed by Vanille who was biking way too fast for herself to handle - she shouted out of fear most of the time, only to burst into laughter directly after that - and the line was closed by no one other than Lightning, who blandly trailed the others on her own pace.

The 'beginners' trail' turned out to be a seldom used path, probably only trodden once in a while by small animals, and nearly completely overgrown with ivy and other, bushy like plants. Vanille had dropped off her bike - and the trail - more than five times by the time they'd been gone for half an hour and was whining about cuts and bruises, and Serah had bumped her knee against a rock when she lost control of the bike and went down too fast. Everyone was agitated, sweating and feeling too warm and constantly nagging at each other, making the ambiance of the group less than hopeless.

"Whose idea was it to go biking anyway," Fang complained through clenched teeth, her face gleaming with perspiration and an annoyed look on her face. "And this trail ain't for beginnin' bikers, this is a fuckin' animal path, for god's sake! Snow! You get us back or I _swear _you're gonna regret you didn't!"

"Now now, calm down already Fang," Snow reasoned. "Okay, it's a bit... heavier than I expected, but we're doin' fine aren't we? Besides, we've gotta be there anytime now, can't be too long before we reach the clearing the brochure mentioned." He glared at his surroundings, panting while riding up a hill. "They said go right at the big rock... But I didn't see a big rock... a lot of them smaller ones but no big one... Did we go right?"

"_What_?" Fang wasn't paying attention to his rambling, could barely breathe.

"Nothin', nothing to worry 'bout," Snow said quickly. But as he turned to face the path again to see where he was going, he was frowning nervously. From the back, Lightning observed the others and concluded that they weren't build for biking trips like these. They raced up the hill too fast, went down even faster, crashed, cried and then got up again only to do the same over and over. She couldn't understand why they wouldn't just slow down and keep a constant speed, like she did. And unlike the others, she hadn't got hurt in anyway.

What seemed like five hours later, but couldn't be a lot more than half an hour, Snow suddenly stopped and Fang bumped into his bike, cussing as she nearly fell to the ground.

"Hey! What're ya doin'?" her face was flushed from the effort she'd put into climbing and her voice sounded drained of her usual enthusiasm. "Don't stop like that!"

Vanille's head popped around Fang's back to face Snow. "What's the problem?"

"Is there anything wrong?" Serah had also reached the group, barely able to talk due to exhaustion. Lightning stopped directly after her and kept a close eye on her sister, afraid she might fall over anytime soon. The man they were all looking at looked stressed as he slowly turned around to face them. His face was red with heat and shimmering in the light with sweat, and he looked troubled.

"Guys," he started, talking slowly as if he was thinking about his words. Which was, if you asked Lightning, impossible.

"I think we're lost."


	3. Coldhearted Sweat

**This chapter is a bit heavier than the previous two, less humor, I'm afraid.  
Still it needed to be written!  
I hope you enjoy reading.

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_**Summer Camp All Over Again**_

_Chapter Three: Cold-hearted Sweat_

_[Alive till I'm dead – Professor Green]  
"How can she be so hot – yet be so cold to me?"

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_

"Say what?" it was Fang who interrupted the deep silence that fell on the party after Snow's confession. "Are we _lost_? As in, ya don't know which way we should go to get back to the house?" She sounded confused and agitated and wasn't afraid to show it by glaring intensely at him.

"Ah, well…" Snow's voice was slow and he looked abashed at the people gaping at him. "…yeah, that's what it's kinda like, yeah."

"But, it can't be that difficult," Vanille said, "I mean – we didn't take any turns on our way here, right? If we just follow the track…"

"What _track_," Lightning interrupted her roughly, her voice as bitter as she felt. "There _was _no track, we just bashed through, following that _idiot_ over there!"

Snow started to defend himself when Serah suddenly silenced him by putting a shaking hand on his arm, face paler than Lightning had ever seen. "Snow, please, calm down… I… I think I need to sit down for a while…" And as she spoke the words, suddenly she collapsed against her husband, who only just managed to catch her in time, dropping his bike to the mud. He then looked at the others, a troubled look in his eyes.

Sighing, Fang got off her bike. "Let's find ourselves a place to rest. We'll decide what we're doin' after that." She looked at Snow while talking, and he nodded at her to show his gratitude. Then he carefully put Serah on his back and followed Fang who had taken his bike with her and took the lead. Vanille hopped after them and Lightning, grumbling as she did so, had no other choice but to follow them or be abandoned.

It took a long time for Serah to regain consciousness. Lightning had left the group on the clearing they'd reached – although it was not the clearing Snow had mentioned before, if they had to believe him – and sat alone on a fallen tree, looking out over the valley beneath her. They'd gotten quite high and the view on all the green was amazing. She was enjoying the silence and was using the shade provided by large trees nearby to cool down a little, when she suddenly heard shouting voices coming from the clearing, but closing in quickly.

"…you _promised_ we'd..."

"I didn't promise you anythin', Vanille! I… I can't believe you just…!"

"Just _what_? I didn't do anything! You were the one who promised me…"

"I never said such a thing! What exactly are you implyin'?"

She heard footsteps, suddenly coming to a halt. Without really wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, Lightning stretched her neck a little and saw Fang and Vanille, standing right in front of each other, both looking pissed and angry. Then Vanille burst out in tears.

"I… I thought…" she sobbed, uttering barely audible words, "…I thought you _loved _me…"

Lightning saw Fang shrink at those words and suddenly realized she was hearing more than she would like to know. She wasn't supposed to overhear this conversation. Better even, she needed to go away to give those two their privacy. As she sneaked away from the scene though, she heard Fang say: "Vanille… I _do_…"

Without knowing why, her gut twisted. She bit away the unwelcome feeling and walked on to the clearing, not wanting to pay attention to the strange awareness she'd felt. Still it bothered her. She knew Fang and Vanille were together ever since the two had first been reunited, at the large airship when they all met each other again. She'd known ever since that day and even though she didn't like the idea – Vanille seemed way too young for Fang, it bothered her sense of righteousness – she accepted it like the rest and never mentioned it to either of them.

Still, _hearing _them speak out their love for each other was a totally different thing. Shuddering with some awkward sensations in her stomach, she quickened her pace and shook her head as if to shake out the undesirable thoughts. It hit her that she might find the idea of two women together distasteful, unnatural even – but after thinking that over she decided against it.

As long as they loved each other, there was nothing to be troubled about. But then why did she feel so… so _strange_?

"You've seen Fang and Vanille?" Serah had woken up and sat on Snow's lap in the centre of the clearing, surrounded by ankle-high grass and flowers in all kinds of colors. Both her and Snow had troubled expressions. "They ran off, arguing…"

Lightning nodded, stopping at the edge of the clearing. "They are five minutes away from here. I saw them talking."

"Oh, okay." Serah smiled at her. "Do you think they will be okay? Everyone's so edgy today… Must be because of the heat, right?" And the way she just sat there, so serene and calm, made Lightning decide that she'd been stubborn enough for the day, and even made her feel guilty about her stoic pose. And having seen Fang and Vanille arguing made her feel alone – she didn't want to submit to the idea that she might be afraid of being on her own for the rest of her life, but she knew she was feeling bad about not having someone to shout at like that for herself.

At the same time, she knew she would never be in a stable relationship. She was too closed, too much of a loner to really shape a bond with someone other than herself. It hurt her that she longed for closeness with someone, yet rejected the idea at the same time.

"Why don't you sit down here, sis?" Snow suggested, tapping the grass next to him. "The sun's lovely, and it might just give you a slight tan." He winked at her.

"Like I want one," Lightning said, but still she did as he asked and sat down in the grass next to her sister and brother in law. She'd hate to admit it out loud, but Snow had been right: the sun _was _soothingly warm on her strained muscles and after a couple of minutes she felt relaxed for the first time that vacation.

"Say…" Serah didn't look at Lightning as she started her question, just kept her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sunlight, nearly purring. "What exactly did Fang and Vanille argue about?" And, when Lightning didn't answer immediately, she added: "Don't mean to be nosy, I'm just wondering. They barely ever argue. It must be something heavy."

Lightning thought about her answer for some time. "It is about them, together. That's what they are arguing about."

"Ah…" Serah took a deep breath. "I thought so."

"Them?" Snow didn't seem to grasp it. "How can they talk about them? I don't get it."

Serah giggled and poked her husband in his side, pecking him quickly on the cheek directly after that. "Nothing to worry about, Snow. It's girltalk."

He huffed. "Girltalk, girltalk… Like there's such a thing… I bet you'll tell me to spill the beans if I ever have some '_mantalk'_ with Sazh or something!" But even though he tried to look displeased, he kept grinning at her and kissed her back on her lips. "Well then, I'll let you two have your 'girltalk', if you wanna call it that, and I'll see if I can get anything to eat in the meantime. It's getting late and I'd hate for you to be hungry." He got up, lifting Serah from his lap as he did so, and winked at his wife briefly. "I'll be back in a second. Don't you miss me!"

"Will be fine," Serah answered, still smiling, face flushed from the kiss she'd just received in front of her sister's eyes. And Snow left the clearing, leaving behind an awkward silence that neither of the sisters broke as they both knew it would not help.

"Perhaps," Serah broke the quiet eventually, "Perhaps you should join Snow. Two find more to eat than one can."

"I should be watching over you, Serah," answered Lightning immediately. "You can't ask me to leave you – you just passed out moments ago."

"True," Serah admitted. "But… I can _see _you're troubled with something. Don't tell me you aren't, Light, I know you are… And I also know you don't want to talk about it." She smiled at her. "So I figured you might like some time alone to think about it, instead of being confronted with me all the time… Perhaps it'd make you feel like you had to tell me what's on your mind. Even though, you should know, you don't have to."

Lightning sighed and leaned back in the grass, watching over the sky that was turning fancy shades of pink on the horizon. "I know, Serah. I know." She watched her younger sister looking at the same view. "I would want to tell you. I just…"

"…don't know how." Serah nodded. "No problem, Light. I'm well aware of that." And the look she gave her after that made Lightning feel all warm on the inside, making tears well up in her eyes that she quickly blinked away before they could roll down her cheeks.

Then the clearing was entered by no one else than Vanille.

Both the Farron sisters looked up as she ran towards them and fell on her knees in front of them, crying and sobbing, looking like one miserable mess of a human being. As she looked up to them Lightning was startled by her swollen eyes and irritated face of the constant flow of tears.

"Oh, Vanille," Serah said, leaning forward to embrace the other, patting her on her back as the girl couldn't get herself to stop crying. "Poor thing… There there…" And over Vanille's head, Serah gave Lightning a look that could only be interpreted _one _way:

Find Fang.

The day was turning into twilight and shadows crept longer and longer through the tree stems, making the urge to find Fang before evening dawned on them even bigger. Lightning dashed through the woods as she used to do in the old days, with agility and elegance, and she was absolutely in her element. But she couldn't find Fang, no matter how hard she looked.

She'd passed the spot where she had seen Vanille and Fang arguing before, but aside from some footprints that lead nowhere there had been no trace of the last. And with no hint as to where she might have ran off to, Lightning felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Fang!" For the first time during the search she called out her name, and hoped Fang would show herself or at least hear that she was sought. "Fang! You here somewhere?"

Then the forest came to an end suddenly in the shape of a steep cliff that Lightning barely noticed in time: the toes of her boots hung over the edge and she had trouble regaining her balance, for a moment fearing she might fall off. She took a step back and then peeked over the edge, making a guess about the height. Probably about a mile, perhaps even more.

Shivering, she considered the thought Fang might have dropped down, but threw it away quickly after that. Even though she might be emotional, Fang wasn't stupid enough to fall down a cliff this size. She would have seen it in time.

Turning on her heels, she scanned the hill in front of her and thought about where to look next. She had scanned the right part of the woods that seemed to end with this cliff, leaving only the left part to search through, including the probability that Fang might have taken off looking for the cottage. Clenching her fists, she dashed off again.

She heard the water before her feet touched it, splashing as she stopped in the shallow creek. It smelled fresh here and the sound of the water was nice to the ear, calming to the mind. She sniffed the air like a dog and tasted something that reminded her off the eggs she'd eaten that morning: a vague, exotic flavor Fang always seemed to emit.

Moving cautiously now, as she didn't want to startle Fang, she walked down the creek until she arrived at a lake like the one near the cottage – though this one was a lot smaller and had a deeper, ultramarine shade of blue. She spotted the woman she'd been looking for sitting on a rock in the lake, her back facing Lightning and her feet just touching the water.

Lightning stopped in her tracks. "Fang."

The person didn't stir. Lightning took another step. "…Fang, we are worried about you. Why… why did you run off all the way to this place?"

Fang moved, threw her head in her neck, gazing up at the darkening sky. "Because." She putted it simply. "Just 'cause." And without saying more, she pulled up her feet and hugged her knees, hiding her head between her legs and her chest. Lightning was at a loss for what to do. Why had Serah sent her here? What could she possibly say to Fang? She, of all people, who claimed to have no _feelings _whatsoever, had been sent to help someone with her relationship problems… How ironic.

Deciding she could not stand there and do nothing, she walked up to the edge of the water and then, hesitating for just a brief moment, entered the lake, feeling the cold water freeze her skin. Gasping for breath, she halted and caught Fang's attention who had heard her entering the water.

"Idiot," Fang grumbled, seeing the other trying to regain herself, and slipped casually into the water as if it had a nice, bath-like temperature. She waded towards Lightning, shaking her head. She looked as if she'd cried, but had done so quite some time ago. Her eyes were dark but not rimmed with tears as Vanille's had been, and although she had a stern look about her lips, she looked quite stable. "_You _shouldn't enter the water like that."

With clattering teeth, Lightning said: "Th-there was no o-o-other way to get you t-to come w-w-with me." And she swallowed after the clumsy sentence, shaking all over. Fang walked up to her and, putting a very warm hand on her shoulder, lead her out the water.

"Ya'll catch a cold like that. Take those clothes off." Fang put it like an order, but Lightning hesitated underneath her dark gaze.

Now how did this happen? Wasn't she supposed to help _Fang_, and not vice versa? Next to that – and this was the most embarrassing – she felt _really _reluctant to take her clothes of in front of Fang. She knew it was totally stupid. She knew she shouldn't even think about it, but she was afraid of Fang's eyes on her bare skin. Afraid she might… _like _what she saw.

"What 'r ya waitin' for, Farron?" Fang wrung the water out of her sari that looked dry already. "I don't expect ya can crank up your own body temperature?"

"C-can you?" It was a lame question but she felt like she needed to stretch the time she had.

Fang huffed. "Can I? Course I can! All Oerba villagers _can_, some better than others, but we all can." She glanced at Lightning and then asked: "Why did you come to get me?"

"As I said," Lightning said, regaining a little control over her voice, "we were worried. You were gone like that. It is getting dark." She shrugged, and added, although somewhat reluctantly: "And Vanille was quite emotional."

Fang's face got screwed up in a grimace. "Vanille," she said slowly, then turned around to the lake. "…Yeah, could've expected that."

Clenching her jaws on each other for a moment to stop the clattering of her teeth, Lightning continued: "What happened?"

"Don't know if it's any of your business, Farron," Fang snapped back at her. "And you need to take off those clothes or ya'll become sick."

"Don't I at least deserve to hear what I came to look for you for?" Lightning took off her boots, the leather soaked and ice-cold, as if she was going to take off the rest of her outfit as well.

"Do ya?" Fang turned around and looked at her. "I'm not so sure. Because, well, lemme guess, you don't wanna take off your clothes 'cause y're afraid I might _peek_. How close am I?" She spat on the floor. "Now I get it. I get it all. How did I let it get this far? And _you _honestly expect me to tell you about what I talked about with Vanille? _Honestly_? Don't make me laugh!"

Every insult she'd thrown at Lightning had hit the spot and left nothing more of her than a small heap of human limbs. She felt as if she had no air to speak, could barely breathe, could only stare at Fang, standing in front of her, looking grim.

And then Fang clapped a hand in front of her mouth and sunk to her knees, tears cascading down her face suddenly, her face expressing the same surprise Lightning experienced at her sudden breakdown. "Oh God… Oh God, poor Vanille…" Another hand in front of her face. And then there was only a sobbing, small creature at the spot where Fang had just been. "I did everything wrong… I… I should have…" Then, as sudden as her cries had started, she looked up at Lightning's face.

"She said she loved me. She said it, just like that, that she loved me. And the only thing I could think was that I didn't want her to. Now… Now I get why everyone's always given me and Vanille those… those glances. Those looks. Those filthy glares." She had trouble speaking, her voice lowered to a barely audible level. Lightning could only gape at the other. "They thought… like Vanille… They thought we were _together_… God…"

Lightning blinked as Fang fell against her, too stunned to move, clumsily putting an arm around the sobbing other. "I misunderstood, Farron," Fang whispered. "I said I loved her. I did." She swallowed. "…But I loved her as a sister."

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_**On a side note**_**: All the troubles Lightning has with the entire lesbian thing is entirely an inside-story aspect, not my personal opinion. **

**Reviews are, as always, much appreciated, and will (most of the time!) make me write faster (:**


	4. Wet Adventures

**Slow update, I'm sorry, was out of the running of writing for quite some time.  
Reread and rewrote large parts of this, am actually kind of pleased with it now ^^**

_[Amy Winehouse, Back to Black]  
"I told you, I was trouble - You know that I'm no good"_**  
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**Summer Camp All Over Again**

_Chapter four: Wet Adventures_**  
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Every muscle in her body tensed, Lightning didn't dare to move while Fang cried her eyes out on her white jacket and was too stunned to think of something to say to the other. She felt absolutely ashamed of herself and didn't like that one bit. She was never ashamed of what she did. She always had a reason for the things she wanted to do or not. Why would she feel ashamed because of thinking what everyone else had thought, anyway?

"God…" Fang sobbed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "God, sorry Farron, didn't mean for you to see all this… I ain't that fragile, ya know, it's just… ah…" She shook her head and then crawled off Lightning to sit on the ground next to her, breathing slowly. "Gotta get myself together, right? That's what y're thinkin', right?" she laughed sourly. "That's what I woulda been thinkin' had I been sittin' where you are now."

"We should head back," Lightning said hastily, getting up and feeling her knees knack because she sat down for too long. She felt restless and wanted to return to the group before they got even more worried – and she didn't want to see Fang like this. It was unnatural. She shouldn't look that sad, she never did. "…Everyone's worried."

"Yeah, well, you said that before," Fang said back with an edge of irritation to her voice, but got up nevertheless and wiped the tears from her face, glared at Lightning after that with an intensity that made her shiver. The mask of anger and sarcasm that had suddenly enveloped Fang's face had made the fragile moment of just before disappear completely. "Lead the way, then, _lieutenant._"

Lightning twitched. Being cried on was one thing, being made a fool of was another. She returned the stare with ease before she grabbed her boots, turned on her heels and started to stride into the woods, not bothering to see whether Fang was following her, her blood starting to boil in her veins. The whole situation was getting on her nerves and Fang wasn't exactly helping the tension that built up in her head.

Soon she heard footsteps and then Fang walked alongside her, head held high into the air, all signs of sadness long gone but for the traces of tears down her cheeks. Lightning then increased speed and quickly dashed through the trees and over bushes on bare feet, boots in her hand, noticing that Fang had no trouble following her whatsoever, which was good – they would reach the clearing within minutes if they kept this speed up. And after that they would find their _fucking_ way back to the cottage, pack up their stuff and go home since the vacation ought to be ruined after Vanille's confession anyway.

Lightning couldn't say she regretted it.

"You cold, Farron?" Fang's voice was mocking. Lightning bit her teeth on each other to prevent herself from snapping something back she'd regret later on. "You're still soaked, ya know. And temperature's droppin' with every passin' minute." And then, after a long silence: "Ya could borrow my sari if you wanted to, but I guess ya'd rather die of cold than touch somethin' I wore."

Flashing with anger, Lightning stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, Fang crashing into her quite roughly sending both of them to the ground with a thud. Lightning pushed Fang off her and got up, dropping her boots on the mud, eyes flaming with fury. Fang backed away from her, getting up ever so slowly, all her movements cautious. "What did you say that for?" Lightning's words were sharp, her mouth one thin stripe. "Well?"

"Because," Fang started, her brow tensed and body crouching as if fighting, "because I can see you detest me. Because I can see ya think I'm some filthy disease and I don't wanna be treated that way."

Lightning threw her hands up. "Fool," she grunted. "You're a complete fool."

"Well that makes two of us then," Fang shouted back. "If ya got a problem with me, at least have the guts to tell me, straight in my face!"

The other huffed, teeth still clenched tightly on each other. "Let's just get back to the group," she spoke, having to focus on each word to not lose her self control. "And get this over with. And then you can go home and think all you want to."

"I refuse," Fang stated, now upright with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Just. Go. To. The. Others." Lightning had trouble speaking clearly.

"First ya say why you give me that look. Yes, _that_ look exactly."

Lightning's control snapped. "What makes you even _think _I'd see you as something… something _contagious_?" She had her teeth clenched tightly on each other and pronounced very word with caution, to make sure she didn't start shouting.

For a moment, Fang seemed startled with her answer, but she quickly regained her poise and leaned back, arms still crossed and her brows low over her eyes. "Because ya won't come close to me, because ya act every so idiotic whenever I do this…" And before Lightning could react, Fang stepped towards her and grabbed both her arms, fixing her gaze with her own eyes. Lightning started and a little puff of air escaped her lips. She could feel Fang's breath on her cheeks and saw little drops of perspiration dazzling on Fang's forehead in the last rays of sunlight. Fang might not know it, but she was as close as Lightning had ever let anyone get – except for Serah perhaps, but that was an exception, that was her own family.

"That's what I mean," Fang whispered. Lightning shivered all over as she smelled a faint sweetness from Fang's breath, something that reminded her of long sandy beaches and passion fruit-cocktails. "Ya freeze up… Completely." She barely moved her lips while talking and Lightning found her eyes glued to them, ripped them to Fang's eyes as soon as she noticed it. Fang's lips parted in a wide grin, baring her ivory white teeth. "Sorry to break the truth, Farron… Y're just a deer caught in the headlights."

Fang's head snapped to the left. Lightning's hand hung in still air at the spot where the other's cheek had just been. The physical movement had broken the weird static of her body and Lightning quickly stepped away from the uncomfortable closeness of Fang's body, sniffing loudly to regain her poise.

Nothing was said as the two stared at each other from a distance. Lightning had no control over her shivering limbs, did not know what the strange feelings were that raced through her chest and her veins, made her heart shudder with an emotion she didn't recognize. Fang on the other hand seemed relaxed, except for her heartbeat that was visible through a thick vein in her neck that pulsed too quickly to be calmed down. Lightning didn't know what to do. She was thrown in between pulling Fang along to the clearing and leaving her behind and strangely enough both options didn't appeal to her.

She wanted to touch Fang again.

The truth hit her like a flash and she froze at the spot, glaring at Fang with an intensity that made the other swallow slowly.

"…Lightning? Fang?"

Both snapped their heads towards the origin of the sound and quickly after that, Serah popped out of the trees, Snow and Vanille following shortly behind her. Lightning saw Fang twitch at the sight of Vanille, and the other looked away from her to make the awkwardness a little less. "Thank god you're here," Serah said happily, smiling at them both. "Is everything ok?" She noticed her sister's soaked appearance. "What happened to you?"

"We're fine, I accidentally missed a stream somewhere down," Lightning heard herself speak although she didn't actively realize what she was saying. "We were thinking about the direction to go to. How did you find us?" She hoped her voice didn't tremble as much as she feared.

"We followed your track, sis," Snow answered for Serah, putting a protective hand on his wife's shoulder. "Hoping ye two would follow it back. Luckily ya did, would've taken us hours to find you otherwise." He boomed his smile.

Lightning gave him a glare. He kept grinning.

"What 'bout the house? How're we're gonna get back?" The question came from Fang. She and Vanille still hadn't looked at each other and the tension between them hung among the people like a thick humid mass. Vanille coughed and stepped from behind Snow's broad back.

"Well… We talked about that…"

Lightning prepared herself. Now Vanille would say: We are going to go back home and leave everything for what it is – now Vanille would finally give Lightning the words she'd longed for ever since they'd arrived at the cottage.

"And… well… Snow remembered the way back just now. If… If you don't mind… We can start walking back."

Lightning's jaw practically hit the ground.

"Heh,yeah, I kinda found the map back," Snow said, and he pulled a shriveled piece of paper out of his pocket. "…and after that it wasn't that hard to find the way to the cottage! Stupid me, right? Well, anyway, we gotta go _that _way." He pointed towards a vague direction to their left. "My guess is that we can get back within two hours or somethin', so we'll probably hit the lake by dinnertime. Which is great, 'cause we've got this really neat microwave and a _lot _of noodles..."

Lightning was too stunned to even consider talking. The others though entered a quite entertained conversation about noodles and she even saw Fang and Vanille talking a little – although the awkwardness seeped off the two. Without warning her, the group set off into the direction Snow had pointed out and Lightning followed grumpily, shutting herself off of the others, concentrating fully on the foliage above her and the grass and mud beneath her feet. She feared she might explode if she paid any attention to anything else, especially the strange tingly sensation in her stomach whenever her mind crossed Fang…

Way too soon the lake near the cottage got visible. Vanille cheered and Serah giggled. Snow patted himself on the back and Fang hit him on the head playfully. And Lightning hung behind the group like some dark cloud in a clear sky. "Jeez, I'm hungry," Snow said, rubbing his belly like some under-aged kid. "…First one to reach the house can pick the noodles!"

"Ooh, that's not fair!"

He and Vanille entered a contest downhill, Vanille screaming that Snow was being unfair – and not much of a gentleman – which left Serah, Fang and Lightning behind. Serah smiled at the two and – much to Lightning's surprise – so did Fang as she slowly shook her head. "The two are alike now, aren't they?" Serah asked as they continued their slow paced walk down. Lightning kept her distance, didn't want to be involved in the conversation, but was close enough to hear what they were talking about. Fang snickered.

"Yeah, coulda been siblings those two." She and Serah shared a look Lightning didn't catch.

"Do you have any sisters or brothers, Fang?" Serah asked softly. Lightning tensed. She didn't like the way this conversation was going as it concerned _family_: something she'd always had difficulties with. Fang shook her head.

"Nope, never had any. 'Xcept for Vanille, of course. She's kinda my little sister, ya know." She frowned a little and added, really softly: "Or, well, that's what I always thought anyways."

For a moment Serah didn't answer. "Must've been lonely then, when you grew up?"

Fang laughed. "Not at all! I'm from this massive tribe – there were lots of kids my age. All I can recall from my childhood is playin' around and doin' nothing. It was great, really." She sounded a little sad about that, something Lightning didn't understand. All _she _could remember from being small was having to look after Serah all the time.

"Serah! Serah!"

Snow's loud voice reached them before they could see him: he was standing in front of the cottage, jumping up and down. Vanille had not yet reached him. His loud voice reached them even while they were still some distance away from the house: "I WON!"

"Stupid ass," Fang sighed mockingly and Serah giggled.

"I'm going to go ahead, I think," she said timidly. "Because I'm afraid he might come running up the hill to get me if I don't. And I want to spare you two." She looked over her shoulder into Lightning's eyes: she had known the other had been listening in. "So, I see you at the house." She waved and took off, running very cautiously to avoid tripping over her own feet.

A deep silence fell on Fang and Lightning as the latter refused to walk next to the other and kept a distance of at least two yards. For a while they walked on like this, silently. Then Fang coughed and started to speak without looking back. "Farron… I'm… I'm sorry. Shouldn't have been that agitated with ya, I… I was too overwhelmed by Vanille, that's all."

Lightning considered thanking for the apology, but felt too stubborn to react. She knew it was arrogant and childish, and she also knew Fang would be angry with her if she didn't react. But she couldn't bring her mouth to open, couldn't make her tongue shape the words she knew she needed to speak. And so it remained silent, all the way down to the house. Fang acted like nothing had happened and Lightning distanced herself as far away from the others as humanly possible.

She didn't eat any of the noodles. She just wasn't hungry. Her stomach was in knots, something she hadn't felt in many years, and after dinner she took off to her room without saying anything. She noticed the others sharing looks, but no one dared to ask why she was leaving.

At least she'd made her point clear. They shouldn't have tagged her along on this… _vacation _anyway.

Her room was dark and cold. She threw her pair of boots in a corner and started to undress. Her clothing was still wet in some parts, especially near the folds in the cotton and beneath the leather straps, and being freed of them felt as a relief. The chilly air from outside gently touched her skin and she shivered although not disliking the cold.

For a moment she considered changing clothes, but then she realized she wasn't going to need them. After all, she wouldn't go downstairs. And her limbs were tired from today.

She lay down on her bed completely nude, not bothering to get up and close the curtains – it wasn't as if anyone would be peeking inside here in the middle of nowhere – and let out a deep sigh. For a long time she just lay there, watching the pattern of the plaster on the ceiling, observing the outdated paintings on the wall, thinking about the past day. Automatically, her thoughts passed the incident concerning Fang and again she felt her stomach twitch, together with an uneasy, strange feeling in her lower belly area. She pressed her legs close together which eased the sensation as if lifting strain off tensed muscles, but it still felt as if there was something she ought to do.

Perhaps…

Carefully, one hand descended her body and she touched herself hesitantly. Nearly immediately, the uneasy feeling transformed into something overwhelming and she closed her eyes in delight: a soft moan escaped her lips as she arched her back slightly and her movements got more intense – she pushed her fingers deep inside herself and this time she uttered a clearly audible sound that was way too loud for the silent evening.

Startled with herself she stopped what she was doing and rolled off the bed. She was breathing heavily and felt being moist between her legs, something that suddenly disgusted her, and she got up from the floor to grab a couple of towels – she would shower this awful thing right off herself. At the moment she stood upright the door to her room opened and the person she'd just been thinking of was in the doorway.

Her legs pressed together hard in guilt and she stared at Fang, way too aware of her trembling knees and feeling deep inside her, didn't even think about the fact that the towels barely covered herself. Fang didn't speak but averted her gaze and then entered the room, throwing her bags on the floor. "Vanille kicked me out," she said, her back turned to Lightning who hadn't even moved a muscle. "I kinda expected ya to be asleep, would've talked about it in the mornin' though. Sorry I got in like that."

Lightning then uttered something even she herself didn't understand and hurried out of the room, the towels wrapped closely around her body: the wetness between her legs now turning cold and constantly pointing out her own awkwardness.

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**Hope you enjoyed reading!  
(I certainly enjoyed writing, haha)**


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